MQS Management LLC Sells 4,638 Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

MQS Management LLC lessened its position in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 76.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,437 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,638 shares during the quarter. PepsiCo makes up about 6.2% of MQS Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. MQS Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in PepsiCo by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $508,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. BIP Wealth LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 1.9% in the third quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 3,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $612,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Lincoln Capital LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Lincoln Capital LLC now owns 16,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,556,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Financial Group LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

PepsiCo Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of PEP opened at $154.44 on Monday. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.51 and a 12-month high of $183.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $148.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $160.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.81 billion, a PE ratio of 22.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 58.87% and a net margin of 10.43%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

PepsiCo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.355 dividend. This represents a $5.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on PepsiCo in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $186.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on PepsiCo from $184.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $172.35.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc engages in the manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of various beverages and convenient foods worldwide. The company operates through seven segments: Frito-Lay North America; Quaker Foods North America; PepsiCo Beverages North America; Latin America; Europe; Africa, Middle East and South Asia; and Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand and China Region.